ABSTRACT
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to know the ratio of male and female tobacco users and smokers and the incidence of different types of cancer in tobacco users and smokers. Material and Methods: The present prospective study was conducted in Government Cancer Hospital, Indore (M.P.). All cancer patients who attend the hospital for the duration of 1 year were included in the study. The sample size for this study was 1991 with the use of prepared questionnaires and assess response to treatment clinically and radiologically. Result: The use of tobacco in various forms (smoking, chewing, snuff, and toothpaste) is highly prevalent across the world. Tobacco practices vary depending on the geographical locations. Smoking of cigarettes is highly prevalent in developed countries. In developing counties, however, other forms of tobacco use like chewing, snuff etc. The prevalence studies done in India such as the National Sample Survey 52 round and National Family Health Survey 2 have reported tobacco prevalence to the tune of 51.3% in males and 10.3% in females in year 1995–1996 and 46.5% and 13.8%, respectively, in year 1998–1999. Another study of drug and alcohol abuse 2002 has reported that tobacco use in male was 55.8% (12–60 years of age group). Practices of tobacco use also vary in male and female with bidi smoking and tobacco chewing both common in male. practice of tobacco use in males is around 74% in the form of smoking (bidi and cigarettes or both) and around 62% chewing tobacco in various forms. The practice in female, however, was different with roughly 100% of the women using tobacco who were chewers and only 6% of the women use tobacco smoked. Overall prevalence rate among males for chewing tobacco was 45% and smoking tobacco was 54%, and for female, the corresponding rate was 23% and 1.5%, respectively. Conclusion: We conducted a study in Government Cancer Hospital from August 2016 to August 2017, and 1991 patients were evaluated. The study shows overall tobacco users among all cancer patients visiting to the tune of 49.32%, and male and female tobacco user, 37.87% and 11.45%, respectively. Among males smoking habit is slightly higher than chewing of tobacco, whereas in cases of females, 100% of the tobacco users chew tobacco while smoking is much less common. The ratio of male and female tobacco chewers is 1.97:1, whereas ratio for smoking is 35.5: l. The most common malignancy occurring in male tobacco user is oral cavity followed by laryngopharynx and lung, while in female tobacco user, most common malignancy is of the oral cavity, followed by the cervix and breast.
KEYWORDS:Cancer, Cigarette, Tobacco.